
Can a Weak Immune System be One of the Causes of Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder refers to the psychological condition that affects the patient’s mood, energy levels and the ability to function efficiently. People with bipolar disorder go through extreme emotional mood swings which are classified as hypomanic, manic or depressive. To understand the bipolar disorder and how it affects personality, we need to understand the causes of bipolar disorder.
During manic episodes of bipolar disorder, the person may seem to be high in spirit or extremely irritable. He/she may have more energy than usual with exaggerated self-esteem. The hypomanic episodes are similar to the manic episodes with a lesser intensity of the symptoms.
The depressive episodes of bipolar disorder come with a feeling of intense sadness, despair, or hopelessness with a loss of interest in the routine activities.
Bipolar disorder is believed to occur due to the interplay of genetic, diet and environmental factors. But the latest studies point to a weak immune system as one of the causes of bipolar disorder.
Here we will learn how an improperly functioning immune system triggers the development of this condition or worsen these symptoms.
Bipolar disorder is strongly associated with immune dysfunction including autoimmune disorders and chronic infections. A weak immune system can be one of the causes of bipolar disorder as it can increase the risk of infection in the brain.
Inefficient immune cells are not able to fight the infective bacteria and viruses due to which there is significant damage to the brain. This can alter the chemical balance in the brain, thus becoming one of the causes of bipolar disorder. The changing levels of chemicals that regulate mood leads to alternate episodes of depression and mania and lead to bipolar disorder.
How Is a Weak Immune System One of the Causes of Bipolar Disorder?
Stimulates cytokines production
A weak immune system can lead to uncontrolled inflammation in the body. When the immune system is not working efficiently it does not recognize various inflammatory processes occurring in the body. This can result in a higher production of certain chemicals such as cytokines. These chemicals can cause significant damage to the brain and alter the production and release of hormones that regulate mood. This causes frequent imbalances in the levels of hormones that cause positive emotions such as ecstasy, feeling energetic and a higher self-confidence. There are negative emotions as well, such as fear, anxiety, and depression. As a result, the person may develop fluctuating periods of extreme moods. On some occasions, he or she may develop an intense feeling of happiness or manic episodes of bipolar disorder. This follows a feeling of sadness or the depressive episodes of bipolar disorder.Recurrent brain infections
